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Jan 15, 2017 | 00:35

Turkey and Russia to invite U.S. to Syria talks: Turkish minister

Turkey and Russia have decided to invite the United States to Syria peace talks due to be held this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Turkey and Russia have decided to invite the United States to Syria peace talks due to be held this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday.
"The United States can invite Daesh (Islamic State) too. First of all, as you know, we agreed with Russia on inviting the United States. I spoke with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and we will invite the United States. They will be in Astana. We don't deny the role of United States," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey remained opposed to the inclusion of the Syrian Kurdish militant group YPG in the peace talks.
The Syrian government and rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a nationwide ceasefire on Dec. 30 brokered by Moscow and Ankara.
The agreement aims to pave the way for new peace talks, which Russia hopes to convene in the Kazakh capital Astana later this month with Turkish and Iranian support.
The date and its participants remain unclear.

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